Miracle Creek(111)

“No,” Young said. “Mary needs to confess. Now. Elizabeth is innocent. She lost her child, and she’s on trial for killing him. No one deserves that kind of pain.”

Pak shook his head. “We’re not talking about some innocent mother who’s done no wrong. You don’t know what I know about her. She may not have set the fire, but she—”

“I know what you’re going to say. I know you overheard her saying she wants Henry to die, but I talked to Teresa, and she explained it. She didn’t really mean that. They were just talking about feelings every mother has, feelings I’ve had—”

“That you want your child to die?”

Young sighed. “We all have thoughts that shame us.” She took Mary’s hand and knitted their fingers together. “I love you, and in the hospital, I ached, seeing you in pain. I would’ve changed places with you if I could. But in a way, I loved that time. For the first time in so long, you needed me and let me care for you and hold you without pushing me away, and I…” Young bit her lip. “I secretly wished you wouldn’t get better and we could stay a little longer.”

Mary closed her eyes, and pooled tears slid down her cheeks. Young grasped her hand tighter and continued. “And I don’t know how many times we argued and, just for a minute, I wished you’d disappear from my life, and I’m sure you’ve thought the same about me. But if that were to actually happen, that’d be unbearable. And if someone were to discover those worst moments and blame me for my child’s death … I don’t know how I could live with myself.” She looked at Pak. “That’s what we’re putting Elizabeth through. We have to end it. Now.”

Pak wheeled away to the window. The cutout was above his head, so he couldn’t look outside, but he sat there, facing the wall. After a minute, he said, “If we do this, we need to say I started the fire, alone. Mary wouldn’t have done anything if I hadn’t put the cigarette there. It’s only right that I take the blame.”

“No,” Young said. “Abe will connect Mary to the cigarettes, the Seoul apartments—everything will come out. It’s better to come clean now. It was an accident. He’ll see that.”

“You keep saying it was an accident,” Mary said, “but it wasn’t. I set the fire on purpose.”

Young shook her head. “You didn’t mean to hurt or kill anyone. You didn’t plan anything. You started the fire on impulse, in the heat of the moment. I don’t know if that matters in American law, but it does to me. It sounds human. Understanda—”

“Shhhh,” Pak said. “Someone’s here. I heard a car door.”

Young rushed to peer out over Pak’s head. “It’s Abe.”

“Remember, keep quiet for now. No one is to say anything,” Pak said, but Young ignored him and opened the door. “Abe,” she called out.

Abe didn’t say anything, just kept walking until he was inside. His face was flushed, the tight coils of his hair beaded with sweat. He looked at each of them in turn.

“What is wrong?” Young said.

“It’s Elizabeth,” he said. “She’s dead.”



* * *



ELIZABETH, DEAD. But she just saw her, talked to her. How could she be dead? When? Where? Why? But she couldn’t say anything, couldn’t move.

“What happened?” Pak asked. His voice was shaky, sounded distant.

“A car accident. A few miles away. There’s a curve with a broken guardrail, and the car went off the road. She was by herself. We think…” Abe paused. “It’s early yet, but there are reasons to suspect suicide.”

It was strange, how she could hear her own gasp and feel her knees buckle and know she was surprised, shocked even, and yet she wasn’t. It was suicide, of course it was. The look on Elizabeth’s face, the way her voice sounded—full of regret, yet resolute. In hindsight—and if she was being honest, even at the time—it was obvious.

“I saw her,” Young said. “She said she was sorry. She asked me”—she peered at Pak—“please apologize to Pak.” A look of shame coated his ashen face.

“What? When was this? Where?” Abe said.

“In the courthouse. Maybe 12:30.”

“That’s right around when she left. And if she apologized … that makes sense.” Abe shook his head. “She had sort of a breakdown in court today, and, well, she apparently wanted to plead guilty. My guess is she felt too guilty to continue with the trial. And given that Pak was who her lawyers were blaming, it fits that she would’ve felt especially guilty toward him.”

Elizabeth, guilty toward Pak. Dead because of that guilt.

“So this means the case ended?” Pak said.

“The trial’s obviously over,” Abe said, “and we’re searching for a note or something more by way of a definitive confession. Her apology to you, Young, would certainly weigh in on that. But…” Abe glanced at Mary.

“But what?” Pak said.

Abe blinked a few times, then said, “We have to follow up on some things before the case is officially closed.”

“What things?” Pak said.

“Loose ends, some new information Matt and Janine just gave us.” His tone was casual, like this wasn’t serious, but it made Young nervous, the way he focused on Mary, as if to gauge her reaction. And the way he emphasized “Matt and Janine”—there was subtext there. A secret message that, based on the way she blushed, Mary understood.